Gov. Dannel P. Malloy says he has spent more money to improve Connecticut's transportation needs than prior administrations, but his Republican gubernatorial challenger calls the state's traffic woes "shameful" and says more needs to be done to increase the capacity of the state's highways.
Malloy and Greenwich businessman Tom Foley appeared separately on Monday at a transportation forum hosted by regional transportation groups.
The Democratic governor said after adjusting for inflation, his administration "is far outspending" prior administrations. He said more work would have been done but many projects were not ready when he took office three-and-a-half years ago.
Malloy emphasized needs for an enhanced train system in the state.
"We need to make our rail system work more like a subway system with more stops, more trains, and more trains going in both directions...." he said. "I'm tired of people going to Europe and saying how great their railways or airports are. I'm tired of that."
Foley says efforts aren't being made to expand the capacity on Connecticut's roads and Malloy is trying to "push people out of cars" by focusing more attention on mass transit.
Foley said that while there's a "tremendous social cost to traffic and congestion," he doesn't think mass transit is the answer.
"Mass transit is a great thing and something we absolutely need isn't an answer for everything...Some people need to be in their cars," he said.
